How a Semi-Dirtbag Goes Full-On Mom: Part 1

I love this quote.  It's super timely resurfacing inspired a two-part post.  This is Part One, the invitation to "believe in better things", to see the humor and the practical in the crossover from semi-dirtbag life to the full-on mom life.  (Part 2 to follow).

In preparing for our first child, and my inauguration in to motherhood, I held on tightly to the idea that all of my traveling, climbing and love for the outdoors had equipped me with skills that would most definitely support me in my new role.  Turns out, I was right.

Margie taking in the beta.

When you're in the throws of motherhood, especially early motherhood, things can get ugly.  Emotions are ricocheting off the walls and anyone standing close by.  You are running on the fumes of sleepless nights and blurred-together days.  You're learning on the job.  Your heart is bigger and fuller than you've ever felt before and you don't yet have the tools to manage it.  You are different.  And now there is this tiny human you've just created and he or she is demanding the very best of you, every moment, every day, all the time.

It's wild.

My tiny human and I in one of my favorite moments.

When I was far enough out of the early days, and starting to see straight again, I started writing things down.  Here are some basic survival tips that this semi-dirtbag took directly from the outdoor life and inserted in to her new mom-life:

• Dry shampoo.  Still conducting research on just how many days this is a viable substitute.
• Baby wipes.  Ha!  Look at that.  Perfect crossover, made for wiping baby bums, obviously.  Maybe less obviously, also good for tent-baths and "dirtbag showers".
• Quick, hurried and slightly panicked bathing sessions.  In the outdoors the water is icy enough to take your breath away and promote flustered soap-ups and screaming dunks.  In the early days of motherhood there is a baby waiting, or screaming or needing you in some inexplicable way and you will rush just the same.
• Headbands and earrings.  A good headband and some stylish studs can take the feminine up a notch, or two, no matter the layers of exhaustion, dirt and/or spit up.  
• Pumping.  On climbing trips we stop while dirty, exhausted and starving to pump for water.  In mom-life you hide while dirty, exhausted and starving, to pump for milk.  
• Packing.  On my first road trip, I learned quickly that organization in the car is essential to preventing hanger, lost gear and overall disorientation.  Same goes in attempts to leave the house in your new mom role.  You better know where that pacifier is, have wipes stocked and enough outfits to cloth a tiny army of babies.  
• Snacks, chapstick and water...everywhere.  On road trips, in tents, at the crag and in your house.  These are staple items for surviving the outdoors and the first weeks of days running into days and moo-ing your way through the hours when mom-ing.

These are just a few of the essential crossover skills that kept me afloat in my transition from semi-dirtbag to full-on mom.  Recognizing them and even writing them down at 3 and 4 a.m. kept me feeling grounded and in touch with a version of myself that I was familiar and comfortable with.  It gets hard and we all need that "invitation to believe better things" are ahead, but most importantly, are happening right now.